promoting regime change in Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Lebanon, and elsewhere against independent leaders, while continuing support for the world's most ruthless, corrupt tyrants;

presiding over a bogus democracy under a homeland police state apparatus;

continuing Bush's worst lawless policies; adding more of his own, including indefinite detentions without charge, and deploying Special Forces death squads in over 120 countries to kill targeted suspects, including Americans;

Palestine came to Oakland's 14th and Broadway. Veterans Against War member Scott Olsen sustained a serious skull fracture when struck on the head by a tear gas canister. He remains hospitalized awaiting surgery.

Thousands of other nonviolent political victims fill America's gulag prison system, the world's largest by far.

In 1994, Congress passed the Police Accountability Act. It was incorporated into the 1994 Violent Crime and Law Enforcement Act, requiring compilation of national data on excessive police force. Nonetheless, Congress refused to fund it.

Moreover, local police aren't required to keep records and submit them on Justice Department request. Nor is police violence and excessive force criminalized. Enforcement mechanisms are absent, and national security and border integrity related matters have carte blanche authority to commit murder.

Anything perhaps also goes to protect Wall Street and other corporate favorites from beneficial social change.

DOJ/FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data include thousands of police misconduct reports, many thousands of affected victims, hundreds of fatalities, and an average 15 or more known daily incidents, or one very 96 minutes.

This, in fact, represents the tip of the iceberg as data collection falls way short. Evidence also shows coverups, lax discipline, and failure to adhere to official policies and processes.

Fifth and Fourteen Amendment due process rights by permitting indefinite detentions of undocumented immigrants that now apply to anyone anywhere in the world, including US citizens for any reason or none at all.

First Amendment freedom of association rights the Supreme Court considers essential free expression. Now anyone may be charged and prosecuted for their alleged association with an "undesirable group."

Fourth Amendment protections from unreasonable searches and seizures. As a result, personal privacy rights were lost.

Authorized unchecked government surveillance powers to access personal records, monitor financial transactions, as well as student, medical and other personal records.

"Sneak and peak" searches are now permissible through:

"delayed notice" warrants;

roving wiretaps;

email tracking; and

internet and cell phone surveillance.

In addition:

secret evidence may be obtained lawlessly and withheld from defense lawyers;

immigrants may be denied their right to counsel if unable to provide their own; and

built-in safeguards are ended to let domestic criminal and foreign intelligence operations share information so CIA can now spy domestically.

For the first time, in fact, the Act also created the federal crime of "domestic terrorism," applicable to US citizens as well as aliens.

It states criminal law violations are considered domestic terrorist acts if they aim to "influence (government policy) by intimidation or coercion (or) intimidate or coerce a civilian population."

As a result, anti-war, global justice, environmental and animal rights activism, civil disobedience, and dissent of any kind, including OWS protests, may be called "domestic terrorism."

Notably under the Patriot Act's Section 806, with no hearing or notice, authorities may confiscate or freeze all foreign and domestic assets of any individual, entity, or organization accused of engaging in, planning, supporting, concealing, or perpetrating any act called domestic or international terrorism against America - even by protesting nonviolently.

Other provisions are just as harsh, using vague language. It gives authorities wide latitude to twist the law perversely and advantageously against anyone for anything called terrorism, whether or not true.

Bipartisan complicity passed other police state laws. Any may be used against peaceful OWS protesters, especially if their numbers grow and stay the course for uncompromising social changes.

Earlier reports hinted at what's coming. In December 2007, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination published one titled, "In the Shadows of the War on Terror: Persistent Police Brutality and Abuse of People of Color in the United States," saying:

"Since this Committee's 2001 review of the US, during which it expressed concern regarding incidents of police brutality and deaths in custody at the hands of US law enforcement officers, there have been dramatic increases in law enforcement powers in the name of waging the "war on terror (resulting in) the use of excessive force against people of color....(It's not only continued post-9/11), but has worsened in both practice and severity" - a NAACP representative saying it's "the worst I've seen in 50 years."

From 2002 - 2004, over "10,000 complaints of police abuse were filed with Chicago police....but only 19 resulted in meaningful disciplinary action, a new study asserts."

According to Gerald Frazier, president of Citizens Alert, it reflects "not only the appearance of influence and cover-up," but clear evidence that city residents are being abused, not protected, despite the department's official motto being "We Serve and Protect."

Police notoriously attack nonviolent global justice protests against the IMF, World Bank, G-8, G-20, and WTO. Others demonstrating peacefully at national political conventions also harsh police crackdowns and mass arrests.

In 2005, the New York ACLU's "Rights and Wrongs at the RNC," reported on New York police attacking peaceful protesters at the Republican National Convention.

Free expression and assembly rights were denied. Over 1,800 arrests were made, including observers, members of the media and bystanders, the most ever at a national political convention.

Mistreatment resulted, including detentions in unsafe conditions, denial of medical care, painful handcuffing for long periods, and other lawless abuses.

At issue is protecting wealth and privilege from populist change. Social justice activism is suppressed. Those with power want to keep it. Nothing's yielded unless forced.

Wall Street tops the pecking order. Money power in private hands to make more of it lets them occupy and control Washington.

What they want, they get. Ordinary people lose out. Rage against the system demands change. Getting it requires focusing on issue one - returning money power to public hands as the Constitution's Article 1, Section 8 mandates.

Succeeding demands organized people putting their bodies on the line against police violence. Key is staying the course, knowing that social justice depends on returning money power to public hands where it belongs.

If that's achieved, everything else is possible. Otherwise, it's not!

A Final Comment

On October 25, a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report showed America's richest 1% tripled their income from 1979 - 2007. They also doubled their national income share at the expense of the bottom 80% losing out.

Findings also concluded that the top 20% of US households increased their national income share. The other 80% declined. Inequality grew to unprecedented levels.

People of color and youths are hardest hit. Notably the study ended before Main Street's Depression began in 2008. Updated findings will show greater than ever disparities.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.